… they have a replacement product, as the conditions the medication treats are serious, and patients could be harmed if they suddenly stop taking it,” says Mary Ann Bauman, MD, a cardiologist and spokesperson for the American Heart Association.
Some drugs containing valsartan were recalled by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which regulates medications for the countries of the European Union, about a week and a half before the FDA announced the recall in the United States. Both the EMA and the FDA say they are looking at what measures can be taken to reduce or eliminate the impurity from future batches produced by Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical.